Myer Melbourne is the first Australian retailer to scoop a prestigious global award for its store design.
At last night's Oracle World Retail Awards in Berlin, Myer fought off stiff competition from international stores such as Carrefour Planet in France and the Disney Store in New York.
The coveted honour means it is now recognised internationally as having the best new department store design.
Myer's chief executive officer, Bernie Brookes, said four years ago it was the company's vision to bring to Australia and Melbourne a 'world-class department store'.
“We felt we had delivered this for our customers, but to now be recognised on an international stage is just tremendous,” said Brookes.
The brief for the $300 million Myer Melbourne rebuild was to update a century old retail store, consolidating two stores across two city blocks, into a single modern store.
Inspired by premier department stores around the world, the store has nine light filled floors, a central atrium void and showcases many of the world’s most desirable brands.
“It is a great reward for the team at Myer that worked so hard to rebuild and relaunch the ‘Old Dame’ that was the iconic Myer Melbourne store,” said Brookes.
Melbourne project director Megan Foster said maintaining the rich heritage of Myer Melbourne was the cornerstone of the development.
“The heritage listed façade, containing the famous Myer Bourke Street windows along with the iconic Mural Hall and Melbourne’s premier ballroom - housing the celebrated Napier Wallace Murals, were brought back to life as part of the rebuild,” Foster said.
“Every floor was designed with the customer in mind making sure we created a wonderful experience as they navigate through the store.”
The awards offer retail organisations from around the world the opportunity to showcase innovation and creativity within their business, and New York's Top Shop store won the title last year.
The Melbourne Myer's developer, Colonial First State Asset Management, Probuild builders and architects The Buchan Group and NH Architecture, in conjunction with the dedicated Myer team, were responsible for the store's transformation.